I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

However, Arthas did not intend to set up any elaborate and intricate hidden traps like this righteous thief, because he could easily and quickly do something similar by simply using magic.

Sensing Atalanta's arrival from afar, Arthas was also keenly aware of the absolute difference in agility between the two.

The attribute gap between these two levels cannot be easily bridged by a few enhancement spells, which prompted Arthas to immediately plan and decide on his next course of action.

"Are they Servants from the same Red faction? Although they are not enemies now, it is hard to say what will happen in the future. But at the beginning of the war, we cannot do anything that would hurt our own side and please our enemies."

"It's still unclear what class the opponent is. In terms of speed, it could be an Assassin, Rider, Archer, or Lancer."

"Let's focus on testing each other's strength for now, but given my current lack of magic power, I really need to be careful."

Arthas chanted a magical incantation, casting trap-like magic circles throughout the jungle. It must be said that the magic he possessed in his previous life as Ainz Ooal Gown was truly useful.

"We've entered the jungle? Even so, my speed won't slow down in the slightest."

Atalanta, running at top speed, saw the forest ahead and her eyes shone with even greater confidence. With her two inherent skills, 'crossing Arcadia' and 'the aesthetics of pursuit', she had never been afraid to race against others.

But as the girl took her first step into the jungle, a strange orange magic circle lit up beneath her feet.

"What!?"

Atalanta cried out in alarm, unable to slow down or turn back, and could only cover her head and rush forward with all her might.

But then a row of densely packed magical orbs appeared in the air; they were the chain of booby traps, one of the trap spells.

A series of explosions, like firecrackers, rang out, and dust and smoke filled the forest entrance, leaving Atalanta covered in soot.

Although low-level magic was not enough to harm the Servant, this clearly intimidating act thoroughly enraged Atalanta, causing her to lose her temper.

"You bastard! I'm going to catch you and teach you a lesson!!"

Atalanta raised her hand to disperse the dust, staring intently into the forest with her large eyes, like an angry little lion, revealing two sharp little fangs as she roared.

"Hmm? This appearance... an orc?"

Hidden in the jungle, Arthas observed Atalanta. For ease of movement, he did not manifest his armor or robes, but instead maintained the simple clothing of an ordinary knight.

After getting a clear look at Atalanta, Arthas quietly left the tree where he was hiding and headed deeper into the forest.

Unwilling to admit defeat, Atalanta took caution to the extreme and began to use her excellent hunter skills to avoid the magical traps set by Arthas.

The battle of wits between hunter and prey has only just begun. In this unknown place, the first clash between Servants in the Holy Grail War has already started.

Night falls in the city of Tulipas.

Lion Robber Jie Li and Mordred strolled through the streets together, having already traversed most of the city's streets and alleys on foot for the purpose of scouting enemy positions and terrain.

Arthas, meanwhile, spent the entire afternoon in the forest outside the city, playing hide-and-seek with Atalanta.

Although Arthas is no longer the Old Man of the Mountain, nor is he an Assassin, the skill 'Presence Concealment' is something that has long been ingrained in his very being.

Despite being affected by his own condition and class, Arthas was unable to fully utilize his divine-like Breath Concealment technique.

Even the most outstanding jungle huntress, Atalanta, could not catch any trace of him. Instead, she was tormented by a variety of magical traps that were impossible to guard against, making her grit her teeth and her anger rise.

Even though Atalanta was furious, she was helpless because she hadn't even seen Arthas.

She had no choice but to write this down in her mind and settle the score when they met on other battlefields in the future.

Fortunately, Atalanta was quite rational and did not unleash her Anti-Army Noble Phantasm in an attempt to force Arthas to reveal himself.

After the two sides finished their fierce competition, Arthas, who had left earlier, ran into the other side about to start a fight shortly after leaving the forest.

Those were Joan of Arc, who had just arrived outside Tulipas by carriage, and Karna, the Spear Servant sent by Kotomine Shiro to intercept and kill the Judge.

Chapter 156 I'm sorry, but I'm still going to cut you.

On the road leading to Tulipas, an open-top truck was moving at a steady speed, while Joan of Arc, who had traveled a long way, sat in the truck bed.

Because when the possession occurred, it did not appear directly in Romania, but in a small town in France.

Therefore, Joan of Arc has been traveling non-stop since she arrived last night.

First, they traveled by car to a large, developed city in France, and then, using Letitia's identity and pocket money, they bought a plane ticket to Romania.

Born in the French countryside, Letitia was not wealthy to begin with, so Joan of Arc had very little money left after arriving in Romania, which meant that she had to rely on luck to hitchhike for the last part of the journey.

Joan of Arc could have used magic to hypnotize and influence others in order to achieve her own goals.

However, being a saint, she was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to trouble unrelated people with her personal matters.

Despite having only a C-rank luck rating, Joan of Arc managed to hitch a ride on several trucks that were making deliveries along the way, and after a long and arduous journey, she arrived at the location of the Holy Grail War.

Wearing a high school girl uniform, Jeanne sat with her knees drawn up in the back of the truck, her long braids billowing in the wind, seemingly contemplating how to deal with the grim situation that lay ahead.

Suddenly, Jeanne sensed the presence of a Servant rapidly approaching. The enhanced perception granted to her by the Judge class made Jeanne feel the danger lurking in the shadows.

In order to avoid involving ordinary people in the conflict between Servants, Jeanne d'Arc subtly suggested that the kind driver who had given her a ride leave first.

"So you're the Ruler for this great battle? Prepare yourself!"

She had just stepped off the train with her suitcase when she heard a steady and firm voice. Looking up, she saw a male follower standing on a lamppost, dressed in golden armor, with silver hair and blue eyes.

Karna thrust his strangely shaped spear toward Jeanne's heart, forcing her to instantly switch to Servant mode and leap backward to avoid the fatal blow.

Even though the casual strike of the spear missed Joan of Arc, it still created a pothole in the asphalt road and kicked up a cloud of dust.

"The Red Lancer, son of the sun god Surya, and his servant Karna."

Joan of Arc, holding a flag spear, stared at the follower who steadily emerged from the smoke and dust, revealing the other's true name in one sentence, her expression solemn and serious.

“I am the adjudicator of the Holy Grail War, Jeanne Dark. You should understand what it means to attack me, right?”

"Of course. My move just now was already a clear declaration of war, so there's no need for you to ask again to confirm."

Karna's answer was without hesitation, and his eyes did not waver even though his actions violated the rules of the Holy Grail War. His hostility was even more obvious in his words.

"Then why would you do this? I have no intention of getting involved in the Holy Grail War, so what's the point of killing me?"

Realizing something was amiss, Joan of Arc tried to figure out why she had been attacked, but it seemed she had asked the wrong person.

"I don't know, I was just ordered to do so by my Master. So according to this Master-Servant contract, I just need to carry out the order!"

As Karna spoke, he raised his golden spear once more, infusing it with magical power and unleashing a blazing red light like the sun, causing Joan of Arc to become wary.

"Hmm? Such a powerful aura."

Having just escaped Atalanta's clutches, Arthas sensed the burst of magical power and then crept into the nearby forest to observe.

Because he couldn't reveal his presence too early, Arthas didn't intend to get involved in the current struggle.

Moreover, Shishikage Kairi was just an ordinary magician, and his own magical reserves were completely insufficient to supply two top-tier Servants with their full power at once.

However, Arthas seemed unaware that Jeanne d'Arc, the Judgement class, was a living Servant radar, and was immediately detected by her the moment he appeared.

"Avengers? How come there's an extra class in this Holy Grail War? Could this be the anomaly the Holy Grail summoned me to resolve?"

Joan of Arc thought this to herself, but she dared not relax her vigilance against Karna in the slightest.

Without using Command Seals, she simply wouldn't be able to defeat her opponent.

"I'm sorry, but considering your class privileges, I must guarantee to kill you with a single blow!"

Karna's magical power surged, intending to unleash his Noble Phantasm to send Jeanne d'Arc back to Valhalla. Golden light emanated from him, like a sun hanging high in the sky.

"Flame and light, this power capable of burning everything is truly troublesome. It seems that the opponents in this Holy Grail War are not some nameless weaklings."

Arthas stared at Karna, who was bathed in golden firelight, and sighed, feeling that his own power, derived from frost and death, was far too incompatible with the guy before him.

"By Command Spell, Karna, the Red Lancer..."

Just as Jeanne d'Arc was about to use her Command Spell, Siegfried, wielding a greatsword, rushed from afar and slashed at Karna, interrupting the release of his Noble Phantasm which was just in progress.

Master Gordes, belonging to the Yggdrasil clan, ran up to Jeanne, panting, wiped the sweat from his chubby face, and said breathlessly:

“Miss Arbitrator, my name is Gold Mujik Yugdomirenia, and I have been ordered to come and greet you and protect you.”

Just as Joan of Arc and Gold began their conversation, Martha, who had walked across most of Romania, arrived in Tulipas.

"Someone is attacking the Arbiter? It seems that someone is indeed making some underhanded moves in the Holy Grail War, otherwise they wouldn't be so guilty."

Dressed in a refreshing summer beach outfit and wearing a black sun hat, Martha stood on the mountaintop gazing into the distance, while Tarasque lay quietly at her feet.

"The attack was launched by a follower of the Red team? But that doesn't mean the Black team didn't violate any rules. Sigh! Being a referee is really a thankless job."

Martha sighed, then leaped down the mountain and headed straight for the place where the battle had broken out.

Meanwhile, after Joan of Arc rejected Gordes' proposal to join forces to besiege Karna, Siegfried was already locked in a fierce battle with Karna.

"It seems that the person I'm going to fight tonight is you."

Karna raised his gun to parry Siegfried's slash, then quickly retreated to create distance between them.

Siegfried then stomped off the ground and sped after him, gripping the hilt of the demon sword with both hands and unleashing his divine swordsmanship, which had already transcended the realm of humanity.

"I'm sorry, but I still want to win this battle."

Two flashes, one blue and one red, moved swiftly through the darkness. The ordinary hand-to-hand combat alone stirred up a howling wind, and the aftershocks of the battle shattered the hills and small mountains rising from the roadside.

The brilliant sparks ignited by battles between heroes inspire awe; the contest between the dragon-slaying hero and the benevolent hero is a clash of their beliefs and determination.

This is precisely the allure of the Holy Grail War.

Gordes, as an ordinary person, might not be able to tell, but Arthas clearly judged the difference in strength between Karna and Siegfried.

Compared to Siegfried, who was always on the defensive, Karna, who was always on the offensive, was much more aggressive, his spear always aimed at the opponent's vitals.

Siegfried, who had been bathed in the blood of a dragon, possessed astonishing defensive power, but he still could not withstand the piercing force of Karna's demonic spear, and his cheek was slashed open by the blow.

"The magic spear that pierced my dragon armor, I deeply respect your skill, your legend, and your suffering."

Siegfried wiped the blood from his face as he spoke, the dragon blood granting his body incredible regenerative abilities, which had already healed his wounds completely.

Karna landed from high above, rested his spear on the ground, and generously gave Siegfried the same recognition.

"Siegfried, the knight who traversed the Netherlands? You are also someone I admire."

Seeing that the battle between the Servants was unlikely to end anytime soon, Jeanne turned her gaze toward the direction where Arthas was hiding, and murmured to herself:

"Alright, I should take this opportunity to purge those who shouldn't be in this Holy Grail War."

Chapter 157 Joan of Arc's Tragedy? This book is a serious novel.

"She found me?"